The Lower Mainland’s best things to do on rainy days include visiting Vancouver museums, restaurants, indoor attractions and entertainment venues.

Vancouver offers so many fun things to do indoors, which is good seeing as we get so much rain!

Rainy Day Things to Do in Vancouver

So where should one go to escape the wet stuff? Below are a few suggestions, including special seasonal activities plus lists of dry places for people of all ages, for children specifically and for adults.

For a video of Vancouver’s best rainy day places, click Vancouver Rainy Day Activities Video. For a list of best rainy day places, see below.

Below you’ll find information on the following topics. Continue reading for the full article, or click a link to jump to a particular list.

Seasonal Indoor Places | Dry Places for All Ages | Rainy Day Places for Kids | Adult Rainy Day Activities

Seasonal Indoor Places

Good places to be on rainy days this time of year include the following:

• Christmas Craft Fairs – holiday artisan markets take place throughout November and December including the following upcoming events:
  • Coquitlam Christmas Night Market – a Christmas craft fair featuring handmade goods at the Evergreen Cultural Centre very close to Christmas. (December 22)
  • Shipyards Christmas Market – a winter artisan market in the Pipe Shop at North Vancouver’s Shipyards near Lonsdale Quay. Admission is free (although donations benefiting a local charity are most welcome). (December 7, 8, 14 and 15)
  • Vancouver Holiday Bazaar – a local craft fair at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown. (December 13 to 15)
  • Click Christmas Craft Fairs to learn about more upcoming markets.
• Christmas at FlyOver Canada – a winter holiday-themed multi-dimensional film experience featuring Santa and the elves along with holiday decorations at Canada Place. (November 21 to January 5)
• Festival of Trees – decorated Christmas trees and holiday-themed displays at the National Heritage Site in Steveston Village. (December 1 to 31)
• Glow Christmas – indoor holiday lights festival at the Harbour Convention Centre in Vancouver and the Tradex Centre in Abbotsford. Vancouver (November 21 to January 5) and Abbotsford (December 5 to January 4)
• Luzia at Cirque du Soleil – the world-famous circus performs in the Grand Chapiteau at Vancouver’s Concord Pacific Place. TIP: Make a hotel reservation via StayVancouverHotels.com and get a half-price discount on your Cirque du Soleil tickets. (October 3 to December 15)
• Polar Express – special Christmas activities at the West Coast Railway Museum in Squamish. (December 7, 8, 14 and 15)
• Singing Christmas Tree – free family-friendly performances featuring a 100+ person choir, orchestra, actors, dancers and acrobats at Broadway Church at 2700 East Broadway. (December 6, 7, 8, 13, 14 and 15)
• Family Favourites Movies – $2.99 movies on Saturday mornings at select Cineplex theatres. Also, click Vancouver Movies for a list of regularly-priced movies in the region too.
• Vancouver Theatresports League – live improvisational theatre at the Improv Centre on Granville Island. Seats cost between just $8.75 and $22.75 for regular shows adults depending on when you go.
• Arts Club Theatre – The Sound of Music shows at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage at 2750 Granville Street (November 7th to January 5th, 2020) and It’s a Wonderful Christmas-ish Holiday Miracle shows at Vancouver’s  BMO theatre Centre at 162 West 1st Avenue (November 21st to December 22nd, 2019).

RAINY DAY COUPON DEALS!

The Vancouver Entertainment Coupon Book is full of valuable coupons that can be used at restaurants, attractions, retailers and other places of interest in both the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. Hundreds of the participating venues are indoor locations, so the book is a wonderful resource for days with less than ideal weather. Click Rainy Day Entertainment Book Coupons for details!

Dry Places for Folk of All Ages

Great indoor Vancouver places any time of the year include the following:

• BC Sports Hall of Fame – a museum full of sports memorabilia at BC Place Stadium.
• Bloedel Conservatory – an indoor glass-domed tropical garden facility at the top of the hill at Queen Elizabeth Park.
• Britannia Mine – a museum that’s 45 minutes from downtown Vancouver and formerly the largest copper mine in the British Empire. (Note: It’s mostly indoors, but some of it is outside and visitors have to walk outdoors between buildings, so if it’s raining hard you might still want an umbrella.)
• FlyOver Canada – a film and flight simulation attraction at Canada Place.
  
• Grouse Mountain – ... if it happens to be above the clouds (so check before you go).
• Metrotown – if you want to do some giant-shopping-mall shopping.
• Museum of Vancouver (MOV) – the best place to learn about Vancouver history indoors.
• Pacific Centre Mall – a good place for indoor shopping in downtown Vancouver.
• Roedde House Museum – a heritage building that offers guided tours of a home built in the 1890s in Vancouver’s West End.
• Vancouver Aquarium – some of the attraction is still outside though, so don’t forget your umbrella.
• Vancouver Maritime Museum – good if you like maritime history and want a dry place.
• Vancouver Climbing Centres – facilities with climbing walls and bouldering opportunities exist throughout the Lower Mainland.
• Professional Sports Games (including ones with the following local teams):
  • Vancouver Canucks – NHL hockey at Rogers Arena from October until around April.
  • Vancouver Giants – WHL junior hockey at the Langley Events Centre from September until around March.
  • Vancouver Whitecaps – Major League Soccer at BC Place Stadium from March until October.
  • BC Lions – CFL Canadian football from June until around November at BC Place Stadium.
  • Vancouver Canadians – NWL baseball at Nat Bailey Stadium from June until September.
• Vancouver Climbing Centres – Lower Mainland facilities feature bouldering, rock climbing and all kinds of fun activities for people of all ages.
• For more good places and things to do for people of all ages in Vancouver on a rainy day, check out Vancouver’s Best Places for Entertainment and Vancouver’s Best Restaurants.

Rainy Day Places for Kids

Wondering what to do with children on a wet, miserable day? Below are some great kid-friendly rainy day places.

• Apex Adventure Plex – a trampoline park in Richmond.
• Castle Fun Park – home to the best indoor mini golf in the Fraser Valley (plus outdoor go karts, bumper cars, batting cages and more).
• Chuck E. Cheese – a fun place to take young children in Langley.
• Clip ‘n Climb Vancouver – a colourful indoor climbing facility with ladders, staircases, walls and all kinds of things to climb in Richmond.
• Extreme Air Park – indoor trampoline centres in New Westminster, Richmond and Langley.
• Funky Monkey Fun Park – laser tag, bumper cars, pirate ship ride and playground at 13853-104 Avenue in Surrey.
• The Great Escape – an indoor family entertainment centre with mini golf, laser tag, toddler zone and more at 20645 Langley Bypass in Langley.
• H.R. MacMillan Space Centre – home of Vancouver’s planetarium.
• Kidtropolis – an indoor miniature village in Richmond that’s suitable for children ages 3 to about 8.
• Science World – a great IMAX Theatre and lots of cool science stuff to see.
• Watermania – one of the Lower Mainland’s best aquatic centres, and a best place for children in Richmond.
• West Vancouver Aquatic Centre – another one of the best indoor aquatic centres in Metro Vancouver.
• If you don’t mind the rain and want to take in other top attractions without the crowds, check out Vancouver’s Best Places for Children, for top things to do with kids in general.

Adult Rainy Day Activities

For great bars and restaurants, check out Vancouver’s best places to eat and drink. Just don’t worry about places with fancy views though – if the weather is bad you won’t be able to see much.

For music, theatre and other performances around town, check out Vancouver’s Best Places’ Shows and Entertainment Calendar.

Indoor places that are of interest to people of all ages, but in particular adults, include the following:

• Beaty Biodiversity Museum – a museum with a biological collection at UBC.
• Bill Reid Gallery – a Northwest Coast Indigenous art gallery in downtown Vancouver.
• Vancouver Art Gallery – a great place for art and to escape the rain.
• Museum of Anthropology – a very good anthropological museum at UBC.

And if you’re feeling lucky, maybe check out one of Vancouver’s casinos. Just take a limited amount of money, no more than you’re willing to lose happily, and play for fun. As they say, ‘know your limit, play within it!’

• Parq Vancouver – a casino by BC Place Stadium.
• Grand Villa Casino – a casino in Burnaby.
• Hard Rock Casino – a Coquitlam casino.
• River Rock Casino Resort – a popular casino in Richmond.
• Hastings Race Course – a horse-racing venue at the PNE Fairgrounds.

ENTERTAINMENT BOOK RAINY DAY SAVINGS

TIP: The Entertainment Book contains hundreds of coupons including ones for some of the Lower Mainland’s best places on rainy days. If you want to escape from the weather and save money, check out Vancouver Rainy Day Entertainment Book Activities and take advantage of all the great 2-for-1 coupons.

For other great things to do rain or shine, check out Vancouver’s Best Places Calendar of Events.